A councillor has criticised a council's decision to begin charging village halls for waste collections.

Cllr Kiloran Heckels said the decision made by Rutland County Council's cabinet in June to begin charging for waste collections was "unacceptable", given the nature of how village halls are typically used.

"I feel very strongly that this policy is unjust," Cllr Heckels said.

"Our village halls are the heart of our communities – vital in preventing loneliness, isolation and promoting wellbeing for our residents. They are not a commercial enterprise.

"These extra waste charges will have a material impact on the finances of our village halls. Many have been struggling to generate sufficient income to keep pace with the cost of living crisis, while a number of village halls are not rented out at all. Their survival is entirely dependent on support from parish precepts.

"At the end of the day, the village halls themselves are not creating the waste, but rather the residents and groups who use them. In that sense, it is still essentially domestic waste."

Coun Heckels' comments echoed earlier criticism from Andrew Jennings, chairperson of the Empingham village hall committee, who explained to the LDRS that his hall's waste collection charges could amount to almost £700 per year.

Given their scale, Mr Jennings warned the costs may have to be "passed on" to village hall users via higher rental prices.

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However, Cllr Oliver Hemsley, Rutland County Council's portfolio holder for environment and transport, maintained the charges are "fair", arguing that the new policy will ensure they are applied more evenly.

He said: "The charges do not need to be levied if the hall is not generating any waste. If they wish to have their bins collected and their waste taken away, then these are the costs that come with it. They could choose to opt out and go to a third party – they don't have to go to the council.

"We're just making sure all village halls are treated equally – that they have the opportunity to opt in or opt out as they see fit."

Cllr Hemsley suggested the council could be flexible over payment of this year's charges, since the money available to most village halls through their parish council precepts would have been agreed to in April, without accounting for this additional expense.

"If precepts have been set and there is no availability," Cllr Hemsley continued, "then we would be happy to have a discussion, but it would be on a case by case basis. We're not offering any promises, but we're here to be helpful, not to be awkward."